Neo-nazis target of Que. RCMP searches

RCMP officers descended on two properties in Quebec Thursday that are allegedly tied to a neo-nazi terrorist group.

Quebec RCMP said on Twitter that the searches were carried out as part of an investigation targeting individuals in the province with suspected ties to Atomwaffen Division, which is listed by the federal government as a terror group.

A SWAT team and canine unit were part of a contingent of about 60 RCMP officers who executed search warrants in St- Ferdinand and Plessisville, two towns located between Montreal and Quebec City.

According to Quebec RCMP Sgt. Charles Poirier, this investigation, which started in 2020, is one of national security and spearheaded by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. “There are no arrests that are planned for today and no criminal charges,” he said.

Although charges won't be made, Poirier says there's a possibility that the findings from Thursday's investigation will lead to more searches. Officials couldn't comment on how many potential suspects there are.

“The purpose of the search is not to interact with them, it's more to search the premises to find whatever investigators are looking for,” Poirier said. “It's not so targeted on the individuals themselves today.”

Police searched a residential building behind a church in St-ferdinand and an apartment building in Plessisville. Photos posted online by the RCMP showed heavily armed officers outside various buildings.

Poirier said there was no threat to public safety, but he added that an emergency response team was dispatched because of “the nature of the group,” which advocates for acts of violence.

The Atomwaffen division was founded in the United States in 2013. They were listed as a terrorist group in Canada in 2021.

In 2020, the group garnered police attention over a string of alleged “swatting” offences — a term used to describe the act of fabricating emergencies to trick SWAT units into action, exhausting police resources.

The group's activities in the U. S. are similar. In 2020, alleged members were charged for running intimidation campaigns against journalists and members of the Anti-defamation League in retaliation for reporting on the group's members and activities.

The federal Public Safety Department's website says Atomwaffen Division, which is also known as the National Socialist Order or NSO, calls for “acts of violence against racial, religious, and ethnic groups,” as well as against informants, police, and bureaucrats, “to prompt the collapse of society.”

The group has carried out violent acts at public rallies, including in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, the government site states.